canine anxiety

Anxiety is a problem for many dogs. It may well be one of the most common issue that comes up most for owners. A dog that is experiencing anxiety is not living their best life, and their daily activities can be impacted by the fear, overwhelm and discomfort of anxiety.

If you have ever experienced anxiety yourself, you will know just how terrible this can feel. There are many different ways to manage and lessen anxiety. We can use a combination of different therapies to help improve their quality of life.

Anxiety can present in a few ways, and there can be different triggers for different dogs.

Anxiety can impact many areas of your dogs life

General Canine Anxiety

Some dogs can be highly reactive and highly stressed and anxious constantly. They live their life in varying levels of anxiety, and are often never relaxed or calm. Anxiety permeates through all aspects of their life. This will generally always be associated with an increase in fear and the stress response. This is often referred to as Generalised Anxiety Disorder (GAD)

Anxiety related to a particular situation

You can have a dog that is anxious over a particular event, like driving in the car, or when your friend with little kids comes over. They are scared, but their trigger for this fear is a known, and specific event. Often this type of anxiety can be better managed than GAD, as their triggers can be avoided where possible, and managed in their environment.

Separation Anxiety

Then you have the dogs that have separation anxiety, and they are fine when you are home with them, but the moment you head out they are a mess. They can bark the whole time you are out, and they can damage things.

Anxiety can present in many ways, and can be different for different dogs.

General symptoms of Anxiety

• They can be unsettled, pacing or constantly getting up and down.

• whining, barking or howling

• excessive energy, jumping, climbing or general hyperactive behaviour

• Aggression

• pawing or mouthing at their owners, or other dogs

• Shaking or shivering

• increase in yawning, licking, drooling or chewing

• regression of toilet training

• Chewing, digging and destruction of property

• self injury in attempts to escape

Many symptoms of anxiety can be normal behaviours, but they are out of context, or they are done excessively.

Destructive behaviours can escalate significantly where they are creating excessive property damage, and even more worryingly they can cause significant injury to themselves in this moment of panic. These are the dogs that will chew their way out of a door, or a cage.

There are different types of Anxiety, that impact their lives differently.

How can we help these dogs to feel better?

Reducing the stress response will help to reduce the stress hormones which can contribute to feelings of anxiety, however this is not the whole answer. Anxiety can go much deeper than this, and a multifaceted approach is essential.

My aims when supporting an anxious dog is to support the nervous system, and also help to balance and restore neurotransmitter and neural communication. Supporting both the physical nerve tissue and the emotional nervous system. I also like to support and nourish the adrenal glands, which goes a long way to regulating the neuroendocrine system.

Natural medicine support for the anxious dog

We can use many different herbal medicines, nutrients and energetic medicines when addressing Anxiety. A combination can help to support the body both physically and emotionally.

Herbs for anxious dogs

There are a multitude of herbs that are suitable for supporting the nervous system. I go through this in much more detail in my blog on herbal therapies for the nervous system.

Some herbs I like to use are passionflower, chamomile, oats, skullcap, vervain, lavender, withania, nettle and lemon balm.

Nutrients canine anxiety

Alongside herbs, I also like to use specific therapeutic nutrients to complement their balanced diet. You can read more on nutrients for the nervous system in my blog post coming out next week.

My core nutrients are Vitamin C, B vitamins, essential fatty acids and magnesium.

Looking at the dog as a whole, we also need to look into other contributing factors.

Have they experienced trauma in their past?

Is there any underlying medical issue? thyroid dysfunction? blood sugar dysregulation or cushings disease?

Do they have any food allergies that are overlooked and causing imbalance in the nervous system?

Separation anxiety can be worsened by our actions when we come and go.

How do you leave the house when you are going? Do you make a big fusss? 'Oh pumkin, mummy is going to have to go out. I will miss you so much my moonchy smoonchy puppy poo.' kissy kissy make a big deal, get energy levels high and then leave? Then when you arrive home is it "oh baby, I'm home, I missed you so much I love you I hate to leave you of here is a food gift, oh you missed me so much, jump all over me, as a make the biggest fuss over you that I can…..

This is going to be one of the biggest contributors to separation anxiety in your dog.

You raise the energy and then leave. Then come home, raise the energy even higher, reward them for being over the top as they jump all over you, whining and licking and weeing themselves. Not only reward them for these behaviours, but encouraging it to escalate.

Stop it. Stop doing this to your dog. Coming and going needs to be a big fat non event.

Don't make leaving the house a big production.

Give them something to entertain themselves. A stuffed kong. A meaty bone. A puppy iceblock. A toy, and leave.

Dont fuss. Just leave.

Then when you get home, open the door, and don't even acknowledge your dog until they are calm. Do not pat them if he is jumping and whining. Do not pat them if they have bowled you over, and is on top of you licking your face. Do not associate coming and going with high energy. Its low energy, calm, no big deal. If its no big deal. Its nothing to get anxious about.

Exercise and Anxiety

Exercise should always be a first line of intervention for an anxious dog. This will be breed specific, but can be a very effective tool in helping to regulate anxiety. Exercise can regulate the nervous system and help to reduce anxiety.

Breed specific exercise can help to moderate the stress response, reducing stress

Making the exercise breed specific will also help to engage the mind and instinct of the dog.

If you have a kelpie, and you are in town, you need to channel that energy. Give him a job. Find out about agility training, or flyball.

If you have a greyhound, you can probably get away with a short stroll, a quick run and back to the couch.

Give a Labrador a special toy to retrieve.

Set up some scent work tracts or go on a sniffy walk with your beagle.

If you don't know what specific exercise would suit your breed of dog, have a google, or post what type of dog you have in the comments and ill help you out with some suggestions.

Canine anxiety can be supported with natural therapies.

By adding all of these different levels of support together for your anxious dog, you will be addressing this in a more complete and balanced way. I often see dogs respond much faster and settle into happier more contented dogs.

In very severe anxiety, and you find your dog requires a combination of natural therapies, and pharmaceutical support to get the best result.

If you need some specific support for your anxious dog, you can book in for a personalised consultation

Give your dogs a nice gentle calm pat for me!